The link between Romania’s adhesion to Schengen and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is “artificial”, Romania’s Justice minister Catalin Predoiu said for RFI radio. The official blames the reticence some countries have to see Romania in Schengen based on some internal political matters.
He said Romania till has a chance to achieve the objective to join Schengen in 2011 in one way or the other. His comments follow the declarations of the Dutch Immigration minister Gerd Leers who said the executive in his country will pronounce in 2012 on the requests of Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen, after a trial period.
Predoiu rejected any links between Schengen and the EU monitoring mechanism, that EU countries make: it is an artificial connection, Predoiu said.
